The background description provided herein is solely for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. Aspects of the background description are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the claimed subject matter.
Navigation buoys are typically used to aid marine navigation and mark hazards on rivers and other water bodies. Current speeds in navigable waterways are known to vary from 0 MPH to approximately 9 MPH. Conventional navigation buoys have limitations which render the buoys ineffective under certain conditions. For example, when the current speed of the water body in which the buoys are deployed exceeds approximately 4.5 mph, conventional buoys are prone to submerge and/or become unstable, inclining at various angles. Consequently, there are some locations in which the buoys are needed but not placed since the buoys cannot be kept on station and visible above the surface. As current speed increases, the buoys may become submerged, rendering them more susceptible to being run over by passing barges, boats and other vessels and potentially causing damage to the vessels or to the buoys themselves. Even if not submerged, when the buoy is so inclined away from an approaching vessel, the buoy does not effectively reflect radar waves and is thus rendered less visible on radar and by sight. This problem may be compounded by drift catching on the buoys, creating more drag and submerging or dragging the buoys off station. Accordingly, approximately 50% of buoys in the inland navigation system presently require annual replacement. In addition to the costs of replacement, there are transportation, storage, retrieval and deployment costs, resulting in large annual expenditures by the Coast Guard. These drawbacks also contribute to vessel accidents and resulting costs to the maritime industry due to the improper marking of hazards to navigation which result from the inherent design limitations of the conventional buoys.
Accordingly, in water having fast current speeds, there is a need for hydroplaning navigation buoys which are characterized by features creating hydrodynamic lift thereby augmenting displacement buoyancy and achieving enhanced stability and visibility.